1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is devices which simultaneously provide visual and audio stimulus to a person wearing a set of earphones and goggles with light stimulus in the front of the goggles.
2. Description of Related Art
Researchers have discovered that through the use of visual and audio stimulus, certain reactions may be induced into a person such as relaxation, altered states of consciousness, and increase of the brain's functional intelligence. Such an application of stimuli to a subject person and the reaction obtained is termed "multiple afferent sensory stimulation" or MASS.
These effects are produced through different combinations of visual and audio stimulus at different frequencies and in different rhythms. A total of four separate stimuli are available for energizing, one for each eye and for each ear, and such energizing may take many varied forms. The visual stimulus, if considering only one single color entity, such as an incandescent lamp, may have its brightness continually increased or decreased, may take the form of pulsed brief flashes of light which in turn can vary in brightness, or may be patterns over time or brillance formed with the pulses of light. For example, the pulses could be evenly spaced and of the same time width for one lamp brightness, or the lamp brightness could be increasing or decreasing by changing the pulse duty cycle. Further, the visual stimulus for each eye need not be the same.
The mode of operation of the audio stimulus can have many of the characteristics of the visual stimulus, such as pulsed tone, although, and perhaps preferably, music or pink noise may be substituted for a tone or combination of tones. The volume of the audio sounds can be increasing or decreasing, can consist of chopped sounds which again may be increasing or decreasing in intensity, and the duty cycle may be changed, i.e., the portion of the time that a sound is present compared to one complete cycle of sound present and not present.
Again, each sound stimulus for each ear need not be the same either.
Machines varying the visual and audio stimulus discussed above have been developed in the prior art.
It is reported that the human brain has basic frequencies at which it operates and which have been observed by recording equipment such as an electroencephalograph (EEG). These so called "brain waves" generally fall into four classifications in accordance with their frequency rate, namely Beta, Alpha, Theta, and Delta. Beta waves occur during a person's awake time and occupies a frequency spectrum of between approximately 12 and 30 Hz. (cycles per second). Generally, the higher the frequency, the more intense the mental activity. Alpha waves occur during relaxation and during that twilight state just before sleep. Alpha waves occupy the frequency spectrum of approximately 8 to 12 Hz. Theta waves represents the frequency spectrum between 4 and 8 Hz and generally reflect brain activity during sleep or deep meditation. Lastly, Delta waves occur during times of deepest sleep and are generally in the range of 1 to 4 Hz.
It has been determined by researchers, such as Dr. George Corges, that a person's brain can be persuaded to operate in any of these four frequency spectrums by the application of visual and audio stimuli supplied in a desired frequency spectrum. The person's brain activity tends to "synchronize" with the frequency rate of the applied stimulus for certain defined stimulus.
By slaving the visual stimulus, such as repetitive blinking lights, with the audio stimulus, such as repetitive tones, a person will soon find their brain wave frequency, and thus mental activity, synchronizing to the applied visual or audio stimulus.
Obviously, various alternating modes of applied stimulus are possible by alternating between the left and right side eyes and ears in one or more of the sixteen possible combinations from no stimulus present on all four receptors (left and right eyes, left and right ears) to stimulus for all four receptors. In addition, the pattern of the stimulus can be varied as eluded to above.
Of course, some combinations of stimulus will result in less reaction of the person while other combinations of stimulus will result in a profound reaction.
Further, while it would be apparent that a scheme of application of structured visual and audio stimulus to a person would produce the best or desired reaction, yet it is possible to achieve desirable reactions by utilizing as the audio stimulus what is commonly termed "pink noise", which is a variation of "white noise". White noise is random electrical noise that exists in electronic circuits due to electron shot and thermal noise defined as having constant energy per unit band waves and independent of any central frequency of a band. The name is taken from the analogous definition of white light, which is the combination of light of all colors in the light spectrum. Pink noise is white noise having the special characteristics that its intensity is inversely proportional to its frequency over a specified range. In pink noise, equal power is dissipated into a constant resistance in any octave band width in that range. Pink noise when heard, can have a very soothing effect, much like the sounds of ocean surf.
All of the stimulus, both visual and audio, with its variations, can be pre-programmed upon magnetic tape and then, through properly designed equipment, be presented to a person to achieve the desired mental and physical effects.
Accordingly, it would be useful to have a device adapted to take information pre-recorded on such a medium as magnetic tape, to decipher it through electronic circuits, and deliver the resultant electronic signals to generators of visual and audio stimulation surrounding a subject person.